From runways to highways, her Atlanta construction firm has blazed paths
Though Guiomar Obregón is not a household name, there is a very good chance nearly every Georgian has interacted with her work as CEO and co-founder of Precision 2000 Inc., an Atlanta-based civil construction company that has helped shape the region.
Walked on a sidewalk at Truist Park? Obregón’s company built those.
Landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport? P2K has repaired those runways and taxiways.
Driven on a highway in the state? The company has repaired the concrete slabs.
And Obregón’s done it while blazing new paths in construction, an industry where Hispanic women are rarely CEOs.
“I think we (had) to break some barriers,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “to show that a Hispanic company could do professional work. So, just by doing the work and showing what we could do, I think we opened our own doors.”
In Georgia, a little over a third of firms with employees are at least partially owned by a woman, but in the state’s construction industry, only 18% have a female owner, according to an AJC analysis of census data.
Obregón moved to Atlanta from Colombia 34 years ago. A civil engineer by trade, she came to the United States to pursue a dual engineering master’s degree and MBA from Georgia Tech.
Obregón met her husband, Carlos Sánchez, back home in Colombia. When she came to Georgia Tech, the two were still just dating. But after a few years in Atlanta they got married, and three years later decided to start their own construction firm.
Sánchez and Obregón launched P2K in 1998. The city of Atlanta’s Department of Public Works was their first client — contracting the company to improve the banks of creeks, build sidewalks and construct handicap ramps during the spate of construction that fueled the city’s growth following the 1996 Olympics.
“I was very excited, because you know, we had all this education, and, like, ‘Yeah, let’s start the business.’ But you know, I didn’t know much about running a business,” she said.
Obregón threw herself into learning how to do it, taking classes with the U.S. Small Business Administration and eventually getting funding from the agency.
Early on P2K prioritized being the prime contractor on bids, even if it meant they were smaller projects while the company gained experience and connections. Now, P2K is the prime on large, complex projects.
“Now that we have a name in the industry, it’s easier now, you know more people. So we’re invited to be in the joint venture or to work with a new client because they can see our track record,” Obregón said.
Still, breaking into the industry was hard. As immigrants, she and her husband didn’t have preexisting business relationships, so they had to build that from scratch while also facing preconceptions around minority-owned firms, she said.
“Like, ‘You cannot do that.’ Or, ‘You’re less than a regular company.’ So we never relied on the certification, because we can do the work regardless of being Hispanic- or woman-owned,” she said.
As CEO, Obregón oversees the business side of the company. She has helped grow the company to more than 100 employees and about $50 million in revenue in 2025, she said.
In 2024, she received major awards from the SBA Georgia District Office and the U.S. Minority Business Development Agency.
Obregón is also very involved with Latinas in Construction, a group within the Georgia Hispanic Construction Association. She also serves on Georgia Tech advisory boards — contributing to governance, industry engagement and the development of future talent.
Late last month, P2K opened its first office in Bogotá, Colombia, which is led by engineers who were trained and worked in the Atlanta office.
While growing P2K alongside her husband, they also raised two kids. What started as a family business has now brought in the next generation. Their daughter oversees the company’s marketing and their son, who is studying at Georgia Tech, has spent many summers working for the business, Obregón said.
Ultimately, being a barrier-breaking female entrepreneur is about letting go of perfection and embracing the flexibility that owning your business provides, Obregón said.
“Sometimes we women, we are too hard on ourselves, and we try to make everything perfect. And, you know, there is not really perfection, it’s whatever you need to do at the moment,” she said. “So sometimes maybe more on family than on business, and sometimes it’s more on business than family, and that’s OK.”
“To be able to have the freedom to do that when you own your own business, that’s really valuable.”
AJC Her+Story is a series in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighting women founders, creators, executives and professionals. It is about building a community. Know someone the AJC should feature in AJC Her+Story? Email us at herstory@ajc.com with your suggestions. Check out more of our AJC Her+Story coverage at AJC.com/herstory.